The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tall task in Week 12. Mike Tomlin's team will be on the road for a must-win game against the 7-3 Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh hasn't won a game in Chicago since 1995, and Tomlin will face innovative first-year head coach Ben Johnson and a rushing attack that has been elite as of late.
Containing the NFL's second-best running game will be a challenge in itself. The Bears have averaged 162.8 rushing yards per contest over their past six games. Meanwhile, Chicago has won seven of their last eight contests, while proving they can win high-scoring shootouts or low-scoring defensive slugfests.
But what the Steelers must worry about most isn't the rushing attack; it's letting second-year quarterback Caleb Williams extend the play.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must get Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams to the ground when pressured
Williams has been up and down this season, but lately, the second-year quarterback has shown improvement. Though the former number one overall pick can still be inconsistent when it comes to accuracy and ball placement, he has an innate ability to extend the play.
Of all NFL quarterbacks who have played at least 10 snaps this season, nobody has recorded a longer time to throw than Williams at 3.12 seconds, per SumerSports. Williams' long time to throw suggests that the Steelers' pass rush will be able to get home often, but that might not be the case.
There are two reasons Williams holds the ball so long: he has the protection to look down the field, and he's a wizard at extending the play. The latter of which will be Pittsburgh's biggest issue this week.
Williams drew comparisons to Patrick Mahomes entering the 2024 NFL Draft, and he's living up to expectations by showcasing his abilities when he escapes the pocket. Williams is extremely slippery when pressured—eluding tackles and delivering the ball down the field on the run. This has led to the fifth-best average depth of target in the NFL among all current starting quarterbacks, narrowly trailing New England's Drake Maye.
READ MORE: Steelers postseason chances are slipping (and Sunday’s Bears game is everything)
As a result of Williams' aggressiveness and fearlessness to throw the ball down the field, the young quarterback ranks 9th in intended air yards per pass attempt and 4th in yards after catch per completion. Much of this comes after the play breaks down and Williams is playing 'backyard football'.
With the trio of Nick Herbig, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith, the Steelers should be able to get pressure on Caleb Williams in Week 12, but bringing him to the ground is another story. Despite being pressured on 22.6 percent of passes, Williams has taken sacks on just 4.69 percent of dropbacks—the seventh-best rate in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference.
Obviously, the Pittsburgh Steelers can't let the Chicago Bears run all over them with their elite rushing attack. But if they can't bring Caleb Williams to the ground and he's able to extend the play all game, Mike Tomlin's defense will be in for a long day.